Groove tighter than the federal climate budget, Victorian Surf coastie Daniel Aaron has dropped his latest single Ocean in You.
Daniel Aaron’s new track Ocean in You embraces his raucous rhythmic style that’s harder to stop than a chippie packet in the wind. With an indie-root soul, bare-footed and hard-boiled, he hits riffs heavy, thumps his stomp box, nimbly plays the harmonica, delicately taps his ukulele daintily and basks in the bubbly sounds of his bass. He’s got a fire in his belly, ready for whirling melodies and to inspire people to revel in landscape and dance with his rhythm.
Raised in rural Pyramid Hill, Daniel was molded by the granite hills, rivered gums, burning sunsets and the endless horizon. As a displaced adolescent, Daniel lamented his hometown and dreamed of the sun-bleached, coastal lifestyle. His lack of understanding of the substance of place started to bring him to reflection, like a voice from a future awareness, guiding him forward and grounding him in Country. Moving to the coast, holding the ocean as an emotional sink, he felt gratitude for the open plains and revived his love for the bush. Getting lost in the in-between of these spaces, the ambiguity of landscape has inspired his music.
Ocean In You was birthed from a simple yet heartfelt phrase whispered to Daniel by his partner as they were sitting in their van looking over the secluded coastline of Southwest Victoria. Connecting on their shared awe and admiration for the vast ocean ahead that is rooted in philosophies they aspire to, a beautiful moment formed followed by 8 words.
“With a sign of beautiful emotion, it was like the song just fell out of me” Daniel recalled, as he had run to his guitar with the melody and chords chasing after him. Not long after, his hands formed the three simple chords that made up the track. It became an ode to the beautiful simplicity of life, that he had crafted in between the spaces of his partner Libby and him.
The track is delicately bought to life with such authentic and intimate singer-songwriter vulnerability. There is a sense of wilderness that is brewing among his crunchy finger-picking and spine-tingling tender vocals. The bending banjo bounces around, restlessly riffling through the ocean motif. A sense of nervous woozy anticipation through expansive echoes and reverbs of guitar soar swiftly, adding to this panoramic craving for freedom. Brainwaves that are half the world away, flail through the rustic washed-up strings and voyage through sprawling vocals and collapse and morph into an exquisitely digestible sound.
Through spending time visualizing the lyrics and shaping the song, Daniel took the track to Melbourne-based producer Michael Belsar, to sit in reflection of the track’s simple, humble and motivated nature. Mike’s collaboration with Daniel, allowed him to embody these key themes and take it further into the watery ocean atmosphere it was born in. The textures that Mike gave life to in the track, make Daniel feel that he is floating over a vast open coastline and “Watching the expanse of sand from an aerial view, while the sun is setting, casting deep hues of orange across the sky”.
This ‘One-man-ensemble’ developed his captivating live solo performances, rooted in looping techniques and multi-instrumentalism. Nurtured by his own self-teaching of various instruments, Daniel engaged in Ocean in You with feathery acoustic guitar, swelling electric guitar, wailing banjo, drums and percussion, subtle bass lines, and vocals. Mike digested all of these intricate, emotive instruments and added synth and piano to the mix.
Thrown into the Australian public eye after winning the Triple J Unearthed competition, Daniel was featured on the line-up of Australia’s biggest regional festival, Groovin The Moo, playing alongside acts such as Paul Kelly, Royal Blood, and Ball Park Music. Since this performance, Daniel has soared through the sky, waiting for momentum to release his debut album, built on the foundation of rock, indie folk and blues roots.
The album is scheduled for release early mid next year, but Ocean in You is a beautiful taste of the collection of tracks, and you can listen to it below.
